Menagerie

Meet The Cat

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:16:00 +0000

Sabina is overrun with stray cats. It's quite common for me to have cats in my yard, on my porch, and even sitting on my car every day. If you go out at night when they are all on the prowl it reminds one of something straight out of a Stephen King movie.

Anyway, amidst all of my visitors there is one little cat that I've taken a liking to. When I pull in to my parking spot after work, here she comes running to greet me. She is quite friendly and will even jump up on my lap when I'm sitting in my front porch swing. She tries on a daily basis to enter my house but of course I don't allow this. Here are a couple of photos that I took today after I threw some food out for her.

News: Cute Newborn Kitten Markings

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:45:00 +0000

Posted by David Pescovitz at
boingboing.net

The fur on this kitten, born Sunday,
March 23, 2008 in Sacramento, California, seems to spell out
"I (heart)(dot)." That's especially cute because the kitten's mother is named Dottie.

RIP Storm

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:13:00 +0000

Storm passed away today during a car trip to the animal hospital. It came as a bit of a shock since I really did expect her to make a recovery from her recent illness. Her condition deteriorated rapidly this week when she stopped eating on her own after being started on Baytril about a week ago. Although she was being force fed I guess the food wasn't enough to sustain her strength. By Saturday evening she had lost the use of her hind legs.

I must admit that I'm more than a little bit angry with my vet because I don't feel like he took her illness serious enough when I first took her to see him three weeks ago. Even when I called last weekend to try to make an emergency follow up appointment because I felt like Storm was getting worse, I felt like I was given the brush off. The vet simply told me to start her on a prescription of Baytril because it sounded like a possible bladder infection. Then today when I was standing in the hospital waiting for them to confirm that there was no heartbeat, the vet had the nerve to ask me if she had been suffering from an upper respiratory infection. Now I understand that he must see a lot of patients throughout the week, but it made me mad. I politely reminded him that I had initially brought her in for bleeding. Then I said that I believed it must have been bladder stones or a blockage. He just kind of nodded his head in agreement.

I should have insisted on X-rays the first time I took her in. I don't think Storm should have died from a bladder infection or whatever it may have been. You want to believe that the doctors are trained and know better than you how to treat an animal. Yet recently I've felt like the doctors could care less what happens to my little ones.

Other Troubles

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:25:00 +0000

February and March have consisted of ongoing health problems for two of my guinea pigs; Storm and Gabe. Gabe's upper respiratory infection did clear up and he went back to eating on his own. However during this time of being handfed his teeth began to grow too long. A few weeks ago the vet filed his teeth to try to help him with his eating. He still isn't back to himself though.

Storm has been bleeding which has caused great concern for me. The vet seemed to think that it was an external problem rather than an internal one. I have been cleaning her with baby wipes and warm baths and then applying a rash ointment each day. However, I haven't seen her condition improve so I plan on taking her back in for another appointment. I still think there is something the vet is missing.

I had another scare last Monday when I woke up to check on my tortoise. Sometime during the night she had become stuck inside her hide-a-log and couldn't get out. I didn't think I ever was going to get her out without hurting her. Needless to say she is fine and the log has been removed permanently from her enclosure. I've replaced it with a large plastic flower pot from my shed.

This was just too cute! I had to share. This is not my hamster by the way.

RIP Sprinkles

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:24:00 +0000

Sprinkles passed on today from a battle with abdominal cancer. On Thursday she had stopped eating and moving around her cage. Today her condition took a turn for the worse and she had to be taken to the animal hospital. I said my goodbyes and told her to send a big hello to Pinball as she joined him.

Gabe's Liquid Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:52:00 +0000

My guinea pig, Gabriel, is fighting an Upper Respiratory Infection this month. He was treated the first week in December with antibiotics and seemed to be getting over it. Then a few days after being off the Baytril he took a turn for the worse and refused to eat or even move around much. I guess he was taken off the medicine too soon. After a second visit to the vet on Christmas Eve he is back on his antibiotics. The doctor said he is right on the edge of being in critical condition. So over the next 48 hours it is extremely important that I keep him warm, hydrated, and try to get as much food in him as possible. Since he is refusing to eat on his own I've had to force feed him. I made a couple of liquid shakes to syringe to him.

Protein Shake
Ground Pellets
Water
Pedialyte
Sm. amount of vanilla yogurt
Strawberries

Veggie Shake
Water
Half can of mixed vegetables
Parsley
Vitamin C

Penguin Adoption

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 20:45:00 +0000

My students did one of the sweetest things for our classroom Christmas party. Knowing how much I love penguins, the students chipped in together to purchase one of the new WebKinz penguins as a Christmas gift for me. I've named him Colby and have registered him at the WebKinz world. I've already spent several hours online feeding him and decorating his new home. I can certainly see how addicting these cute little virtual critters can be.

Updated Photos of Zoe

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:13:00 +0000

Zoe has really started to fill out and change her looks. I think she has quite a bit of fuzzy hair for a skinny pig.

My 2007 Christmas Card (Front)

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:14:00 +0000

Pug Bowling Link

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 20:06:00 +0000

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=4168107

News: Cop Uses BB Gun to Save 'Jarhead' Skunk

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 18:38:00 +0000

Sat Oct 6, 1:56 AM ET

These are the salad days for one lucky skunk. Officer James Kellett said a skunk whose head was stuck in an empty salad dressing jar wandered into the police station's parking lot Thursday in Carrollton Township, near Saginaw and about 80 miles north of Detroit.

Kellett wanted to serve and protect the white-striped weasel, but wasn't interested in any resistance — spray or otherwise. So he grabbed a BB gun used in hunters' safety courses and shot at the jar from about 40 feet.

The shots cracked and shattered the jar, leaving a glass collar around the skunk's neck. With its head free, the skunk ran off.

"I didn't want to use deadly force, and it is a residential area," Kellett told The Saginaw News. "The way he was when he took off, he was able to eat, breathe and spray — and do anything else skunks like to do."

Kellett didn't get much in the way of gratitude, but he's grateful the skunk didn't spray. And the makers of T. Marzetti's salad dressing are sending the officer coupons good for free dressing as a reward.

___

Information from: The Saginaw News, http://www.mlive.com

News: Turtle Swallowed by Dog Survives

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:19:00 +0000

The Terihay family of Lithia, Florida experienced their very own modern day Jonah story . Apparently their golden retriever was enjoying hanging out in a bathtub where the family was keeping some semiaquatic turtles. Quite understandable knowing how much retrievers love the water. However, it was soon apparent that Pepper, a red-eared slider, was missing from the tub. A quick visit to the vet was made with the dog. The vet made the dog vomit and up came Pepper! After spending 10 minutes in the dog's stomach, Pepper suffered a broken shell but is expected to make a full recovery.

Story appeared in the Brandon Newspaper

Chinchilla Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:40:00 +0000

Chinchillas love to chew! So as a result I'm always replacing cage items that have been destroyed. Last month I put new shelves in the chinchilla mansion. Today I replaced their hide-a-box. Here is what can happen in just a few months to one of these boxes:

Trip to Columbus Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:26:00 +0000

I visited the Columbus Zoo with my sister's family last weekend. Billy and Ashley were excited to see "Fluffy", the world's largest python in captivity. However, my attention was often captured by the beautiful majestic display of birds. I took several photographs which I plan on displaying in my online photo album when I have some time. Here are a few of the shots I captured:

Proud Display of Pheasant Beauty

A Rainbow Lorikeet in his tough guy pose

Healthy

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 01:51:00 +0000

My skinny pig took her first trip to the vet today and received a clean bill of health. Tonight she is acting much more alert and active as she settles in to her new home.

Skinny Pig

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:48:00 +0000

A new addition was made to my family today. I'm now the proud mother of a beautiful female skinny pig. This is actually the only skinny pig that I have ever seen in person so I just couldn't turn her away when I saw her. She seems rather frightened of her new surroundings. For the last few hours she has just kind of sat frozen in a corner of her cage. I've offered her food and tried to get her to see where her water bottle is hanging, but so far she has refused to take anything. I'm hoping she just needs a little time to relax and adjust to her new home.

I was able to snap this one photo before the battery on my camera died. I haven't been able to decide on a name yet, so suggestions are welcome.

Recent Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Sat, 26 May 2007 01:11:00 +0000

Casper has regrown many of his quills back. His coat isn't as full and thick as it once was, but at least he isn't so bald and sickly looking now. Here is a recent photo of him as he dines.

One of my suggies comes to investigate what I'm doing as I clean the glider cage.

RIP Pinball

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 02:07:00 +0000

I hope that there is a hedgie heaven with wheels to run on and juicy mealworms to eat. For if there is, then I'm sure Pinball is having a ball. I had to say good-bye to the little guy this afternoon (12/6/2006) after he had his staples taken out at the animal hospital. When I came home from work today to find him laying on his side unable to get up and feeling like he was burning up, that was kind of the wake up call for me. I kept thinking it's hard to tell how long he has been in misery like this today.

For the last couple of days he was refusing to eat anything that wasn't forced down his throat. The vet said he was dehydrated from lack of fluids when he saw him today. He lost half his body weight over the past couple of months and none of the medicine seemed to be helping much. I could see him slowly getting worse. He could no longer stand, walk, or sit without support. I think the vet knew it was time to let Pinball go because he brought it up first. He also said to me that he thought I was making the right decision when I signed the paper to euthanize. This had to be the toughest decision I've ever had to make. Even now I keep debating with myself as to whether or not I made the right choice.

Pinball's Maze & Hedgie Update

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 01:16:00 +0000

Casper - Although still losing quills they have been few in number. I've continued to use an oral antibiotic mixed with some baby food rather than follow through with injections.

Sprinkles - I thought her UTI was pretty well cleared up since there had been no sign of blood for several days. However when I woke up this Sunday morning once again there was blood in her urine. I'm continuing to give injections twice a day

Pinball - Honestly I thought that Pinball was dying last night since he was so nonresponsive. Since Thursday morning, he hasn't even tried walking around much on his own. He can't even stand without falling over. His appetite has not been good. Today I've pretty much had to syringe food into his mouth which he hates. I still haven't gotten his lab results back. He is scheduled to have his staples removed this week at the hospital. To try to encourage him to walk, I used rolled blankets and towels to create a maze that will support him on both sides. So far he really hasn't seemed to have a desire to walk through it.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 02:18:00 +0000

The Good

Pinball seemed to be in good spirits this morning. Not only had he been up sometime through the night to eat some of his food, but this morning he wanted to go for a run. He was buzzing all over the place. Of course he was still tipping over on his side every few minutes, but he was strong enough to pull himself back up and keep going. Here is a photo I snapped while he was standing on his own without any support.

The Bad
Here lately I cringe everytime I hear one of my animals sneezing. All I can think is "oh no not another sick one." Not to mention those vet bills just keep mounting.

The Ugly
Casper's skin scraping was normal at the vet on Tuesday. The doctor is puzzled as to why he continues to lose quills. The vet suggested that we try a round of antibiotics with him to see if this helps stop the loss. Today during his morning injection, Casper made a huge jump which sent the needle out of his body and caused a large bloody lump to form. I had to apply a cold compress to stop the bleeding and try to get the swelling reduced. This photo was taken several hours later.

Sprinkles Now Sick

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 18:05:00 +0000

Add another sick one to my list. For the last two days I've detected blood in Sprinkles' urine. I suspect a urinary tract infection. Since I already had amoxicillin for my other hedgehog, I thought I'd try giving some to Sprinkles. However, being her huffy self she refuses to allow me to give her any. I even tried putting some on food to see if she would take it that way but I didn't have any luck. So we are off to the vet later this evening for an exam.

Update at 6:35 PM - Just got back from the vet. He also believes that Sprinkles has an UTI. He has prescribed Lincocin twice daily. This will have to be done with injections since Sprinkles won't take any oral antiobiotics. This is the first time I've had to use needles with an animal.

Also made a follow-up appointment for Casper on Tuesday since he is continuing to lose quills

Mass Removed

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 21:26:00 +0000

Pinball returned to the animal hospital today for some additional surgery. The doctor removed the black spot on his chest. He said it seemed to be just dead tissue on the top and came off like a scab but underneath there was some yucky looking stuff that the vet removed. It is being sent to the lab to check for cancer. To me it looked like a large mass for such a little hedgie. My guess is this is what has been causing his mobility problems.

Staples were used to close his incision. So I will need to keep this area as clean as possible while continuing his doses of amoxicillin. I was instructed to avoid giving the predinosolone as long as he is eating since this steroid would hinder his ablility to heal his incision. In ten days we will go back to the hospital to have Pinball's staples removed.

Pinball went nuts in the car on the trip back home. I think it was a combination of being scared, the seditative wearing off, and the staples. He started pacing in his carrier. Then he fell on his back and couldn't get up. This set him off in a panic. I pulled the car over to set him right side up. When I opened the carrier door he took a leap out of his carrier and plunged off the seat. I caught his hind legs before he fell completely to the floor. Hoping I hadn't pulled out any staples, I had to hold him firmly in my arms for a few minutes to calm him. After that he was OK the rest of the way home. The poor little guy has had such a rough couple of months.

Pinball: Off Steroids

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 03:05:00 +0000

Hours after taking Pinball (hedgehog) off the prednisolone, his symptoms were worse than ever. He was unable to walk to his food dish without simply collapsing. He lay there until I helped him back to his feet. I ended up giving him a small dose of the steroid later that night. Tuesday I didn't administer any steroid and he seemed to get along better. Tonight while he was eating his supper I noticed something new to add to my behavior list for the vet. While eating, Pinball suddenly just froze in mid-bite. Then his body started jumping slightly. It reminded me of someone having seizures. After only a few seconds this stopped and Pinball went back to eating.

Pinball Update 2

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 01:10:00 +0000

Pinball continued to eat on his own all weekend. The area under his left arm has changed to a very dark black color and he seems to be especially off balance on this left side. I talked to the vet for a third time today. He wants to administer two more doses of steroids on Tuesday and Thursday and observe any changes. If things haven't improved even more by Friday, Pinball will return to the animal hospital.

Pinball Update

noreply@blogger.com (Peggy) — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 18:09:00 +0000

I did a follow up vet appointment for my hedgehog, Pinball, last night. After five days on antibiotics he still couldn't walk without wobbling around and falling on his side. I've had to continue to syringe liquids and foods. There has been no evidence of urination or bowel movements for days. Plus a dark discoloration has appeared just under his left arm.

The doctor thinks the dark area is from an injury possibly when he fell over at some time in his cage. I was expecting to have to give Pinball fluids while he was at the hospital but the doctor felt like he wasn't dehydrated so it wouldn't be necessary. I was instructed to continue with the antibiotics and the syringe feedings. He also gave me a steriod, prednisolone, to administer for three days.

Hours after administering the first dose of prednisolone, Pinball is attempting to finally eat and drink on his own. He is still very weak and off balance but he has been able to move from one end of his small hospital cage to the other. I also had to clean up poop in his cage this morning. Yeah! Never thought I'd get so excited about poop. :)